PARADISE FOUND

You remember that movie 10-15 years ago, with Leo DiCrapio called THE BEACH??? Everybody wants to go to Thailand and find this magical mystery beach.

SOOOoooo, I am at a party in January with a bunch of other potters, and its noisy as heck, but I am chatting with Chet. Chet lives near me, but on the other side of Mount ***** (note: I am talking like, important secrets here, so no way am I gonna give you any identifiable landmarks) from me. Out my window, you see Mount *****. Anyway, Chet is telling me you go up ***** Road off of Route ***** and head up and up Mount ***** and when you are at the top you turn off onto ***** and pull into ***** and walk through the woods to find PARADISE. That is what it is called, Paradise.

Paradise, Chet explained, is where ***** Creek meets ***** Creek in the ****** Forest. The 2 creeks come down these 2 gorges, there is a series of waterfalls for each, and at the bottom, where they meet, is the best swimming hole on earth, THE BEST. It is all smooth table-like rocks and just a sweet pond formed at the base of the 2 waterfalls, AND although it is deep in the woods, the pond creates a large sunny clearing.

SOOOooo, that was January, and it was all a little murky in my mind, although I knew it is very close to my house. Who knew, Paradise is up the road from my house!!! Well, our buddy Diane lives up on Mount ***** and we were like, Diane, do you know it???? And she is like YEAH! And we were like How about a box of Gary's CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER cookies and you show us where????

SOOoooo, today we go to Diane's, and she has this awesome new greyhound named Annie, and we head over the ***** Road and pull into ***** and get out and HIKE. I will not tell you how far. OK, I will. Round trip walk from the car, using the scenic route, was about 2 and a half miles, so it is about a mile or so from the ***** road.
We get down there and it is UNBELIEVABLE. You are walking along a path, and the path disappears. You have to find a branch path. Then you are going down deep into a gorge (gorge being a lot like a mini canyon) and there is a series of waterfalls, and HUZZAH!!!! Just as described, Paradise. Now we know where to go swimming when it gets hot. I scribbled down a map. It is NOT easy to find.
I ask Diane if she has seen swimmers there before, and she tells us the most was 4 at one time. Then she says "its like, clothing optional". And I am a little dumbstruck, imagining big, hairy Chet splashing around this summer, with his tallywhacker swinging in the wind. My enthusiasm for the place is a little diminished, now, with that thought in mind.
Later, I ask the wife her opinions on clothing optional, and she is like, NO, NOT OPTIONAL and I am like, well, cold water does sorta diminish a man's......
well, anyway.....we shall try to go early on hot days.